Saturday 1 March 2014

United plan lucrative overseas friendlies


Manchester United are mulling over the idea of playing friendly matches in foreign climes in the middle of next season; David Moyes is ramping up his chase of William Carvalho; and Roberto Soldado may be offered a way out of his Tottenham nightmare - here are the main stories making headlines in today's newspapers.

Manchester United are planning to play a series of lucrative overseas friendlies if they miss out on European football next season. Most papers have the same story, with The Sun and the Daily Mirror going one step further with exactly the same headline across their back pages.

United are in danger of failing to qualify for either the Champions League or the Europa League, leading to a plan to send the team trotting across the globe during free midweeks next season in a bid to recoup lost revenue from a lack of European football. The United States and the Middle East are two likely destinations.

Paper Round's view: 

United stand to miss out on around £25 million if they fail to qualify for either European competition and, while that may only equate to a couple of hours of Wayne Rooney's time, it would be remiss of the club not to address the shortfall. 

Understandably, overseas fixtures appeal to the club's money men; whether the players or the manager approve of the idea is another matter altogether. United's main aim, should they fail this season, will be to get back into Europe next. 

Yet it's difficult to see how jetting off to Miami on a Tuesday in the middle of the season is going to help that aim. And imagine the outcry if one of the players should pick up an injury on one of these jaunts.




United ramp up Carvalho chase

David Moyes has identified the answer to his midfield woes - a 21-year-old who is one of the poorest-paid top flight players in Europe. The Daily Mail reveals that Sporting's William Carvalho currently earns 5,000 euros a month - that's just £4,129, or put another way, what Wayne Rooney really earns in a few hours. 

Aware of interest from United and Atletico Madrid, Sporting are trying to redress the situation by offering the player a 900 per cent pay hike to 50,000 a month, but United are willing to triple that figure. Despite the pitiful wages (for a professional footballer) Carvalho has a 45 million euro (£37.16m) release clause in his current contract, which United are loathe to meet. 

However, the paper reports that Sporting could be willing to negotiate and are ready to accept around £24m.

Paper Round's view:

It beggars belief that a player as in demand as Carvalho can earn so little in a profession blighted by grotesquely bloated wages. Yet at the same time it's rather refreshing to hear. Still, it's all going to change soon, whether he stays at Sporting or moves elsewhere. 

As for United, is this the kind of transfer they will be left to hope for if they fail to qualify for European football next season? A young, enthusiastic but largely untried at the highest level player who is champing at the bit to sign for a big club and substantially increasing their wages, regardless of what competition they will have the chance to play in? 

Perhaps so, and the club's chances of getting in big-name, finished articles are over for the time being.

Source: Eurosport 

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